Li XiWang saw Daden Yaonu approach and went to meet her. Perhaps it was some sixth sense, but something told her Daden Yaonu was going to say goodbye.

She watched the older woman come closer, her silvery white hair blowing behind her, shining in the sunlight, her kind face smiling with joy, and Li XiWang knew that this moment, this picture would stay with her forever.

"My child." Daden Yaonu held her arms open and she ran to meet her.

Li XiWang breathed in her scent, a combination of flower auras and sea breeze. She was beginning to associate that scent with home, safety, and family. She sniffed her again, and Daden Yaonu laughed, musical notes dancing on the crystal waves.

"What are you doing, child?" Her green eyes twinkled with joy.

"I'm memorising your smell." Li XiWang told her softly.

"You smell of lotus flowers and sandalwood." Daden Yaonu told her. "The time has come, child, when we must part ways."

Li XiWang nodded bravely, but tears gathered in her eyes. She couldn't speak because the lump in the throat was too big.

"How is it, we have only known each other a few days, and yet I love you? If I had a child, I would wish for her to be exactly like you." Daden Yaonu  wiped her own tears away.

Li XiWang wrapped her arms around the slender waist. Her head reached up to her chest, and she could hear heartbeats in her ears.

"I have never had an aunt before, at least not my own. You are really mine, and I love you too." Li XiWang choked out.

"Now, no more tears for either of us," her fingers trembled as she wiped Li XiWang's face gently. "Parting is not the end, and we will meet again. I will make sure of it."

Li XiWang nodded.

"I have a gift for you." Daden Yaonu said, holding out her closed palm.

She opened it to reveal a bracelet made from abalone, but this shone darkly with blues, purples and greens. Silver diamonds sparkled in between, and she clasped it around Li XiWang's wrist, patting it before letting go. She kissed Li wang on her cheeks and then her forehead.

"I will come and see you soon," she promised with a final wave.

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan were watching her talking to Li XiWang. Wei Ying had tears in his eyes, and even Lan Zhan wasn't immune. He was standing behind his husband, arms wrapped around his waist, while Wei Ying leaned against him. They separated to bow one last time.

Daden Yaonu leaned in to whisper something in Lan Zhan's ear. Wei Ying watched those ears turn a flaming red colour, and vowed revenge. Just what was going on? This wasn't fair, he had left Lan Zhan for a total of two, maybe three days, and look what he had to put up with!

So caught up in his thoughts, he was, that he almost missed what Daden Yaonu was saying to him.

"Even though I have only known you for a while, I feel we shall miss you, especially your little girl. Whenever she feels alone, please remind her of us?" Daden Yaonu sniffed, and laughed sadly. "Look at me! I promised not to cry again."

Lan Zhan handed her a spotless white handkerchief from his robes.

When had he even gotten dressed, Wei Ying thought, bitterly. He looked perfect in the shining sun, like a celestial being. He glanced at his body, bare chested, still a few drops of sea water lingering in the crevices of his muscles, just above his nearly dry trousers.

He looked up to find Lan Zhan also looking at his chest, desire sparking alight in those golden pools, and Wei Ying found himself gravitating towards him against his will.

No, Wei Ying, you cannot. You will not. He forced himself to turn and wave at their departing friend.

Jiang Cheng slapped his back like they used to in Lotus Pier, keeping his arm around his shoulders. In his hand, he held Wei Ying's robes, and he pushed them into his chest.

Wei Ying could feel the weight of Lan Zhan's stare, the heaviness of the glare at the arm laid upon bare skin, and he did absolutely nothing about it.

He held the robes in his arms and pretended to watch the retreating form of the siren as she disappeared into the sea, but the whole of his attention lay with his husband.

Wei Ying was stewing.

He delayed getting dressed on purpose, right up until the time came to hold onto Lan Zhan as they got ready to leave.

They had decided to travel back by sword for speed, given that the Cultivation conference was being held in JinLinTai,  in a few days, and Jin Ling had to get back for that.

SiZhui was eager to spend as much time as he could with his boyfriend - the word produced sparkly bubbles in his heart - and he had decided to stay in JinLinTai with him until after the conference.

Wei Ying went up to the receding waters one last time. He bent and withdrew a palm full of the salty waters, staring at the little bubbles and grains of sand resting upon his skin.

"Goodbye." He whispered.

Lan Zhan took his dry hand and he let him, needing comfort right now. Their collective mood was silent and thoughtful as they mounted their swords.

Wei Ying was quiet and subdued, his arms wrapped loosely around Lan Zhan. He sighed, and Lan Zhan welcomed the sound and the feel of the hot breath against his neck. He felt the steady heart beats against his back, and knew everything would be alright.

Wei Ying fell asleep, plotting.

SiZhui carried Li XiWang  on his back too. He was glad of this time they would spend alone together. He wanted to make sure his sister was alright. She had been quiet as she walked away from the beach, and SiZhui wanted to talk to her about things he didn't feel comfortable with either of their parents present.

He stayed third in their formation, having already explained to Jin Ling what he planned to do, and Jin Ling was happy just to fly beside him. His sword was far enough away that Li XiWang would feel he was listening to their chatting, but comfortable enough so that he felt close to his boyfriend.

Jin Ling smiled to himself.

This trip was like a balm on his heart, dragged through so much rubbish because he hadn't known one simple truth.

He loved SiZhui.

And know that SiZhui knew it too, he felt peace radiate out of his heart, encompassing his mind and body. He thought about his uncles and their relationships, and he determined not to make their mistakes. The past and their examples were to be learned from, and he felt he, along with SiZhu, hade made great progress already.

If he remained honest and true to his heart, he believed that nothing could come between them. He caught SiZhui's questioning gaze, and he smiled back, making a heart with his two fingers back.

SiZhui didn't get it.

"What?" He mouthed back, brow furrowed.

Jin Ling pointed to his own chest, then made a heart with both of his hands, so that the back tips of his fingers met and the heels of his palms touched. Then he pointed at SiZhui, whose whole face blazed red, but a beautiful smile transformed his face.

"Me too." He mouthed back.

Jin Ling grinned and looked forward. There were many, many ways to make SiZhui blush, and he was going to find all of them.

Li XiWang didn't really notice what they were doing. She was thinking about her uncles and how they must have felt when their youngest brother left them.

"What are you thinking about, little rabbit?" SiZhui asked her.

She looked at Jin Ling but he stared straight ahead. Satisfied that he wasn't listening,  she said what was on her mind. SiZhui was easy to talk to. He never judged her, knowing too the pressures of being the child of The Great Hanguang Jun.

People expected them to be great at everything already, instead of accepting the fact that they had to learn first.

"I'm thinking about...the seventh dragon king." She told him honestly.

"Your father?" He asked, softly.

"No." She sighed deeply, and SiZhui wished he could take away some of her worries.

"No?"

"No, I can't call him that. It hurts my real fathers too much. Did you see their faces when I said the conch shell belonged to my father?" She sighed again. "I don't want them to look like that over anything I've said. It's not fair to them, and I, and I don't think of him that way. At least, not yet." She sighed again.

SiZhui's heart broke for her.

"Where do you think he is?"

"I don't know. But we will have to find him, because...because  my aunts, and my uncles, they can't have children unless they settle their estrangement. I mean, they want to find him anyway, but I want to, because of this." She was quiet for a while, and SiZhui thought she had fallen asleep because of how still she was.

"Ge-ge?"

"Mn?"

"Why do you think he left me?" She suddenly asked. Her voice was so quiet, he barely heard her, if not for the fact that she was speaking right next to his ear.

"We can't say until we talk to him directly." SiZhui told her firmly.

This was a dangerous path to take, and he had to make sure she didn't dwindle upon the fork that led to self blame.

"I think, because we met his brothers, we can say that he would be similar to them, right?" SiZhui felt her nodding against the back of his neck.

"So then, I think he's a kind person. He taught his brothers how to change their appearance, he taught them things he learned wherever he went, right?"

"Yes."

Her voice sounded too quiet.

"Well, a person like that, has got to care. I think he loves his brothers and he loves your mother. I think...he might have left you, not out of choice, but by force, because he had to."

"Really?" She sounded hopeful.

"Yes, really. The fact that he brought your mother to meet with his brothers, meant that she was important enough to introduce to his family. And you don't do that with just anyone, right?"

"Right." She confirmed.

"How do you feel about your aunts and your uncles?"

"I'm actually happy." She admitted. "It's hard to explain, but I'm happy because they're mine. They belong to me, and me alone. I don't share them with anyone, not even you, and I don't mean that like it sounds." She hurried to reassure him.

"It's okay, little rabbit. I understand, because I've been there. I had a family before, but I couldn't really remember them, and as time went on, and because I had a high fever when father found me, I forgot them. I think I regret that the most. I know there was a Granny Wen, an Uncle Four, because numbering them was easier, and some other faces are vague in my mind, but now we are only remembering them through Uncle Ning's memories."

"That's sad." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry for that, too."

"So I guess what I'm saying is, people come into our lives and go out of our lives without warning. Sometimes, we can't stop that from happening, but while they are with us, we must make the most of our time with them."

"Okay."

They continued on in silence, until SiZhui heard her cute little snores. The little rabbit was exhausted.

Jiang Cheng was thinking while he flew, catching the occasional stare from his husband and smiling back if needed.

If he told the truth, XiChen would worry, and he had done enough of that for the both of them, these past few months.

He still did not know who was trying to poison him, who wished him ill, and it was getting on his nerves. Zidian sparked, in tune with his thoughts, and XiChen noticed.

Jiang Cheng smiled back, forcing himself to calm down. There was one way to flush out the culprit, and Jiang Cheng knew what he had to do. He couldn't tell anyone because they'd try to talk him out of it, but he thought it was a good plan. It would certainly confuse everyone, and thus, maybe reveal the mind behind the plot.

It was only a matter of time, and his mother had taught him that the truth would always come out.

XiChen knew Jiang Cheng had something on his mind, but what was it?

He kept wondering what it could be, but Jiang Cheng kept trying to put him off, and it was getting on his nerves. He knew Jiang Cheng was hiding something, and that something was something he would disapprove of, hence the secrecy. Therefore, XiChen would have to try harder to discover what it was.

If Jiang Cheng wanted to play games, XiChen could play them too. He hadn't raised a baby brother for nothing, and that experience was sure to come in handy.

Jiang Cheng wasn't the only one who could keep secrets.

JingYi was possibly in heaven. He missed his babies so much, he didn't realise that, that was what was missing. His heart was full of joy, because they had grown up so well. They were big and beautiful and they had missed him too.

JingYi had a worry always in the back of his mind, that they would grow up and forget all about him.

He would never forget them.